Tag Archive | "Gulbis"

Posted on 03 March 2013

Ernests Gulbis made a return appearance in the final at the International Tennis Championships in Delray Beach, Florida. The 2010 champion battled 29 year old Edouard Roger-Vasselin who was in his maiden ATP final. Gulbis downed Roger-Vasselin 7-6, 6-3 to bank his third career trophy.

This is the first time since 2007 in Houston that two players ranked outside the top hundred have reached this stage of the tournament. Gulbis, a former top 30 player, narrowly escaped the qualifying round to get into the main draw.

In the second round, Gublis overcame a 4-0 lead by third seed Sam Querrey in the third set. Later, in the semifinals versus second seed Tommy Haas, the Latvian erased a 0-40 disadvantage in the third set at 5 all to become the sixth qualifier to advance to the final.

For his part, Roger-Vasselin bounced big serving Ivo Karlovic in the second round, then, shocked top seed John Isner in the semifinals.

Although Gulbis and Roger-Vasselin had not met at the big league level, the two clashed on three prior occasions on the challenger circuit last in 2007 with Gulbis the winner every time.

Posted on 04 March 2012

Seeded seventh and ranked 36th in the world, Kevin Anderson was the outright favorite over qualifier Marinko Matosevic in the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships final. Although it was no cakewalk, Anderson managed to fend off Matosevic 6-4, 7-6 to bank the trophy.

Matosevic was attempting to become the third qualifier to hoist the big prize and the fifth Australian to win the ITC. The last Aussie was Lleyton Hewitt in 1999. Anderson was the first South African to advance to the final in the history of the tournament.

Posted on 03 March 2012

In the battle of the giants, Kevin Anderson prevailed over top seed John Isner 7-5, 7-6 to reach the final of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships.

Anderson interrupted an All American semifinal by beating fourth seed Andy Roddick in the prior round. Before this match, Isner had yet to drop a set this week. Isner, the world number eleven, had a slim edge over Anderson in their record of 3-2.

Posted on 27 March 2011

Despite being tested by Kei Nishikori, Rafael Nadal managed to close out his second round match at the Sony Ericsson Open in straight sets. Nadal overcame the talented Japanese 6-4, 6-4 to get to the third round where he will face fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.

After Nishikori wasted a couple of break points which have given him a 3-1 lead, Nadal manufactured double break point. Nadal converted when Nishikori buried a backhand into the net. Nadal subsequently consolidated at love for 4-2.

Later on, Nishikori had double break points with Nadal serving at 4-3. Once more, this was to no avail. Nadal maintained the one break advantage to seal the first set.

In the second set, Nadal seized the break in the first game and guarded the advantage despite Nishikori’s formidable resistance. With triple match point, Nadal aced his rival to punctuate the set.

Nadal was particularly hampered by the serve in the final of BNP Paribas Open last week. Consequently, MiamiTennisNews.com inquired as to the changes he made to fix this problem “I tried to remember what I did when I served well. I slowed down the speed a little bit. . . Because I served 117 to 124, 25 miles almost every time. That’s enough speed if you put the right percentage inside and. . .the balls close to the lines. I think that worked well.”

Furthermore, Nadal said “Nishikori is a good returner. His returns are fast, deep and difficult. . . I have to improve a little bit on the second serve. The speed was [at times] 85, 88, 89, 90, 92. . . But in general, I am very happy with the match of tonight”.

Never one to take his opponent for granted. Despite a 6-2 mark versus Lopez, Nadal’s assessment of the upcoming match when asked by MiamiTennisNews.com was “[it’s] important for me to play my best tennis. . . He has a very good serve, volleys well and he’s an aggressive player. Very dangerous, but if I play very well, I have my chances”.

In addition, Nadal stated “I have to play aggressively with my forehand, try to move him and get to the net when I have the chance. The match will be similar [to the past ones in some ways]. Still, every match is [also] different and always difficult”.

Pablo Cuevas came into the tournament with a record under 500 at 6-7. With defending Andy Roddick across the net, Cuevas must have thought that his week at its end in the second round. To the contrary, Cuevas surprised Roddick 6-4, 7-6.

Cuevas caught a break in finding Roddick not at 100%. After Roddick erased a break point, he manufactured double break point the very next game. However, Cuevas found a way to turn him away.

Posted on 31 July 2010

The Olympus U.S. Open series is on its D.C. stop this week. Although Juan Martin Del Potro, the reigning U.S. Open and two time defending Legg Mason Classic champion, is sidelined by injury this year, numerous big names have made the trip to the nation’s capital to contest this coveted trophy.

This year’s superstar lineup is topped by Tomas Berdych, the new world number eight and 2010 Wimbledon finalist. Berdych is making his third appearance in Washington, but his first as the number one seed. The Czech will be aiming to improving on his semifinal result from 2005.

On the opposite side of the draw is perennial favorite Andy Roddick, the second seed. Roddick, a three time champion and finalist in 2009, is hoping to rebound from a curtailed Wimbledon campaign. Being on grounds which brought him tremendous success previously could be the remedy for the American’s blues.

Fernando Verdasco, the world number 10 and 2009 Australian Open semifinalist, is the third seed. It’s Verdasco’s maiden showing at the tournament. With three titles already this year, Verdasco will be a certain threat. Returning for the second straight year is Marin Cilic who is positioned as the fourth seed and a potential semifinal rival for Roddick.

Posted on 21 May 2010

On Sunday, the 2010 French Open gets underway. Before the first ball is struck at Roland Garros, here’s a taste of how the proceedings may unravel on the gentlemen’s side.

Since 2006, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer had made it a habit of contesting for the trophy on the final Sunday. Last year, Robin Soderling interrupted that cycle by ousting Nadal in the fourth round. After descending a wee bit in the rankings, with a record three Masters clay court titles, Nadal returned to his familiar spot at number two this week. Therefore, this sets up the possibility of a final featuring defending champion Federer and his old nemesis Nadal.

By far, Nadal has been the best clay court player this season. As such, it’s almost a given penciling his name as a finalist. In examining the draw, Nadal, the top seed in the bottom section, appears to have a green line through the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, the Spaniard could see slight resistance from fellow countrymen Fernando Versdasco and Nicolas Almagro. The latter in particular competed well against Nadal in Madrid. Still, Nadal should pull through.

Also in the bottom half are Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic, potential semifinal adversaries for Nadal. Last year, Roddick had a career best showing in Paris by reaching the round of 16. In the first round, Roddick takes on veteran Jarkko Nieminen, then, a possible third round match with Juan Monaco. Hence, the American may say his goodbyes to Paris early. Assuming Roddick advances to the quarters, he could face the second best performer on clay this year, David Ferrer. Considering that Roddick has not competed since the Sony Ericsson Open and with clay being his least successful surface, it hard to imagine Roddick progressing to the second week.

Despite a clay title and two other finals, Djokovic went down in the third round in 2009. This year, Djokovic withdrew early in Serbia and his best result was the semifinals in Monte-Carlo. Consequently, for Djokovic, resting may be a blessing. On the other hand, it could be a curse, not allowing the Serb to be clay fit. With former French Open winner Juan Carlos Ferrero potentially as a third round opponent and Ferrer in the quarterfinals, the third seed could have his hands full before getting a crack at Nadal.

Posted on 16 May 2010

Incredibly, an entire year had gone by since Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal clashed in a final. At the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, these two rectified that by battling for yet another Masters 1000 shield. Nadal, the 2009 finalist, vanquished Federer, the defending champion, 6-4, 7-6 to claim an unprecedented 18th Masters shield surpassing Andre Agassi and a historic third straight Masters trophy.

Since prevailing at the Australian Open, Federer has been in a slump with early exits in Indian Wells, Miami and Rome. The top seed in Estoril last week, Federer was stopped in the semifinals by the defending champion Albert Montanes. Conversely, this season, Nadal has been again the “it guy” on clay with titles in Rome and Monte-Carlo. By avenging his loss to Ernests Gulbis in Rome and beating David Ferrer, the hottest player on clay besides Nadal, in the semifinals, Federer seemed to be finding his form. Still, Nadal would be the most intricate puzzle to solve.

Following a love opening game, with a forehand up the line error by Nadal, Federer had break point. But, by provoking mistakes from Roger, Rafael held for 1 all. Quickly, Nadal turned the tables and as a result of errors captured a break for 2-1. However, as a backhand crosscourt by Nadal sailed long, Federer had triple break point. Roger converted when Rafael’s forehand missed its mark. With the players at 3 all, three successive miscues by Federer gave Nadal triple break point. An unreturnable serve and two forehand winners allowed Federer to get to deuce. Yet, after Federer failed to capitalize on a game point, Nadal connected on a backhand crosscourt pass for a winner and his fifth break chance. When Federer netted the backhand, Nadal took a 4-3 lead. Then, despite resistance from Federer, Nadal consolidated for 5-3. Subsequent to a love hold, Federer hit a couple of great forehands and with a Nadal double fault obtained double break point. Promptly, with back to back errors by his rival, Nadal got to deuce. Still, Federer manufactured two more break points, But, with the return finding the bottom of the net on the next point, Federer could not get over the hump. Finally, with a forehand crosscourt pass for a winner, Nadal punctuated the first set.

After Federer flubbed a volley on game point, Nadal went on to break to start the second set. However, by baiting Nadal into a few mistakes, Federer arrived at double break point. With a backhand crosscourt winner, Federer leveled the set. Then, at 2 all, leading 40-15, Federer found himself at deuce. By passing Federer two consecutive times, Nadal broke for 3-2. After Nadal consolidated with an easy hold, Federer had a love service game to maintain a one game difference. Taking the dropshot out of his arsenal for the first time, Federer fabricated triple break point. When Nadal misfired with the forehand, the set was equalized at 4. Then, with back to back aces, Federer crept ahead 5-4. As neither guy was able to gain a break point, the decider was the tiebreaker.

Posted on 02 May 2010

Despite giving it the old college try, neither the rain nor David Ferrer could alter Rafael Nadal’s destiny. In the finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia ATP Masters 1000, Nadal bested Ferrer 7-5,6-2 to grab his fifth trophy in Rome. In addition to garnering his 27th clay court title, Nadal tied Andre Agassi’s record of 17 Masters shields.

Following two easy service holds, Ferrer sent a forehand crosscourt long to face double break point. With two un-returnable serves, Ferrer got to deuce. After dismissing five break points, with a forehand crosscourt winner, Ferrer held for 3-2. The subsequent game, Ferrer had 15-30 with a crosscourt backhand pass for a winner. However, Nadal connected on a few forehand winners to guard serve. Then, by double faulting and netting a forehand, Ferrer was behind 0-30. Still, by serving well and being aggressive at the right time, Ferrer maintain serve for 4-3. Upon the heels of an uncomplicated game by Nadal, with Ferrer at play and 40-15, sprinkles turned into heavy rain causing the match to be suspended.

After nearly an hour intermission, Ferrer double faulted when play resumed. Yet, with a return error by Nadal, Ferrer stayed ahead 5-4. Next, with two consecutive miscues by Nadal, Ferrer had a 0-30 opening. Unfortunately, Ferrer misfired on a second serve return. With three additional errors, Nadal equalized the set. Subsequent to committing a double fault to allow a third game point to evaporate, Ferrer’s mistakes on two forehands gave Nadal the break and a 6-5 edge. Later, Ferrer crushed a backhand crosscourt return resulting in an error by Nadal on the next stroke and Ferrer’s first break point. However, that break point was quickly wiped off when Ferrer sent a return long. With a forehand volley winner, Nadal arrived at set point. Nadal converted when Ferrer’s return missed its destination.

Ferrer started out the second set with mistakes leading to 15-40. But, with well struck serves, Ferrer got to deuce. Then, with a volley winner off a dropshot, Ferrer carried the game for 1-0. After a comfortable hold, Nadal terminated a long rally with a volley winner for 0-15. Perhaps feeling the effect of the prior point, Ferrer committed two miscues to hand Nadal triple break point. Although Ferrer got to deuce, because a few more errors, Nadal eventually captured the break. Again, there was a prolonged pause due to rain. Upon returning, with backhand down the line winner, Nadal consolidated at love for a 3-1 lead. Following an easy game, Ferrer placed pressure on Nadal at 30 all. Once more, let down by his forehand, Ferrer failed to progress further as Nadal maintained serve for 4-2. Then, with back to back double faults, Ferrer eyed double break point. As another of Ferrer’s forehand landed long, Nadal widened his advantage to 5-2. Next, with a forehand volley winner, Nadal had double championship point. When Ferrer’s returned sailed out of play, Nadal secured for the fifth time consecutive Masters shields in Rome and Monte-Carlo.

Posted on 25 April 2010

One week after being routed by Rafael Nadal in the finals in Monte-Carlo, Fernando Verdasco was all smiles today. Verdasco prevailed over Robyn Soderling 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the finals of the Barcelona Open BancSabadell, an ATP 500 tournament, for his 5th and mightiest career title.

Following a love opening game, Soderling faced break point his second time out when Verdasco’s return clipped the net and dropped for a winner. Although Soderling held for 2-1, he was having difficulty getting free points on serve. A few games later, with a forehand crosscourt winner, Verdasco arrived at triple break point and cashed in when Soderling netted a forehand. Then, with a second serve ace, the Spaniard consolidated for 5-3. Next, with Soderling’s backhand down the line miscue, Verdasco had his fourth set point. The Spaniard sealed the first set with a forehand up the line winner.

By forcing mistakes from Verdasco, Soderling opened the second set with a break. However, with a couple of nonchalant forehand strokes, Soderling stared at break point. With a forehand up the line winner, Verdasco got back to 1 all. After Soderling netted an easy forehand to give Verdasco 30-40, a forehand initially deemed long was reversed. Soderling won the next three points to equalize the set at 3 all. Later, with an overhead winner, Soderling arrived at break point. With Verdasco dumping his backhand into the net, Soderling secured the break for 4-3. A couple of games down the road, at double set point, Soderling connected on a forehand volley winner to send the match into a third set.

After a comfortable hold by Verdasco, Soderling looked at 0-30. In part, thanks to Verdasco’s pass clipping the net and sailing long, Soderling eventually held for 1 all. Still, with two straight backhand errors his second time out, Soderling was again at 0-30. Subsequently, with another backhand error, Soderling stared at a double break point. Once again, with a net court going in his favor, Soderling put away a forehand volley to save the first break point. Yet, with a forehand crosscourt mistake, Soderling handed Verdasco the break for 3-1. By readily consolidating, Verdasco extended his advantage to 4-2. Despite Soderling holding easily, Verdasco never allowed him a bite on his service games. Thus, with Soderling netting a backhand return, Verdasco arrived at double championship point. As Soderling’s next shot, a backhand, traveled long, Verdasco captured the trophy. With this victory, Verdasco continues the Spaniards domination of this event with 10 successive wins since 2001.

The doubles team of Nenad Zimonjic and Daniel Nestor follow up their triumph in Monte-Carlo by defeating Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Knowles 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 in the finals for their fourth title this season.

With five time defending champion Nadal citing fatigue and opting not to aim for an historic sixth consecutive trophy for the second week in a row, the door was left wide open for the other contestants. Verdasco, the fifth seed and a wildcard entrant, made the most of his opportunity. Tested in the third round by Jurgen Melzer, after losing the first set, Verdasco took a tiebreaker to push the match to a third set. After coming through a tough quarterfinal versus Ernests Gulbis, countryman David Ferrer forced Verdasco to carry the last two sets after stealing the first in a tiebreaker. This represents Verdasco’s third career trophy on clay and his second title this year. The Spaniard defeated Andy Roddick in San Jose back in February.